Rugby: France exit leaves bitter taste for Pelous

French lock Fabien Pelous ended his international career after the loss to England. Photo / Getty Images

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PARIS - France lock Fabien Pelous said the rugby World Cup semifinal loss to England yesterday would leave him feeling bitter for the rest of his life.

"I will never be a world champion," the 33-year-old, who is expected to announce his international retirement after the tournament, said today.

"It's not the end of the world but I will feel bitterness about it for the rest of my life," added the former France captain, who won his 118th cap yesterday and left the Stade de Frace pitch after 25 minutes with a rib injury.

"I will not stop saying to myself that we could have done it."

Pelous was playing in his third World Cup and was a member of the team who lost to England in the World Cup semifinals four years ago.

Unlike the 2003 battle, which was totally dominated by England, yesterday's showdown was a tight, nailbiting affair which Jonny Wilkinson decided with a penalty and a dropped goal in the last five minutes.

"It came down to a toss of a coin and it landed the wrong way for us," said Pelous, one of several players on the France squad who wasted their last chance to taste World Cup glory.

Another is current France captain Raphael Ibanez, also 33, who refused to talk about his future but is unlikely to play for France again.

"We feel sadness, anger and frustration but we have to get over it," the Wasps hooker said.

Bernard Laporte, who will leave coaching after the World Cup to become his country's junior minister for sports and whose successor should be named in a few weeks, said his tactics were not to blame for the defeat.

"When you lose, you can always say you were wrong but you can't say we picked the wrong team," said Laporte, who has faced criticism for insisting on discipline and team effort rather than flair.

"It all came down to almost nothing," he said.

"Of course we have regrets. In 2003, it was not the same because England were clearly the best team in the world.

"This time was different. We were on the same level and had our chances. I'm not saying England will not win the World Cup but they're not above the rest the way they were four years ago."

While England go on to play the final, France will have to be content with the third-placed playoff.

"That's not the match we wanted to sign off with but we'll approach it with all due respect because we want to leave the tournament with our heads held high," France manager Jo Maso said.

"We owe it to our fans."

- REUTERS